The Next Generation
by The Sarcastic Polar Bear
Summary: A handful of years have passed. Now it's time to take a glimpse into the lives of their kids. It's the next generation.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I am officially a horrible person. I said I was going to stop posting new stories until I finished all of my current ones, but here's yet another new one.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cause of Death, but this chapter is composed of all original characters, created by my awesome self. **

The sounds of shoes rubbing against a tile floor and bags being opened filled the air. It was a day many kids dreaded, the first day of school.

Hadley Fallon sat behind her desk, impatiently awaiting the arrival of her two best friends. She drummed her fingers on the hard cover of the atrocious looking algebra book.

The bell had just rang when two teenagers sauntered into the room. Their teacher, Mr. Walton, looked up sternly. "Nick Kalaba, Lindsay Corso. You're both late."

"Only one minute!" Nick defended, fumbling with the zipper on his bag.

"Not my fault you're a hardass," Lindsay said haughtily.

Mr. Walton gave her a stern look. "Sit down, Lindsay." With a shrug, she sat down beside Hadley. Walton turned to Nick. "Young man, I've heard about you. Aren't you the one who set the lunchroom on fire last year?"

"M-maybe," he stammered.

"Leave him alone," Hadley defended. "Nobody got hurt."

"Hadley Fallon?" Mr. Walton asked stiffly. "You have quite a reputation yourself. Fighting?"

"C'mon. She was defending herself," Lindsay said, leaning her chair back and propping her feet up on her desk.

"You've had a couple of fights yourself if I'm not mistaken," Mr. Walton said dryly.

"Not as many as Hadley!" Lindsay insisted. Hadley shot her a look.

"I thought you were on my side!"

"Lindsay, you're violating the dress code," Mr. Walton reprimanded. Lindsay looked down at her low cut shirt and heeled sandals.

"How? I like it," she smart mouthed. "I have the right to be happy, don't I?" She swung her feet off of her desk and leaned forward with a smirk.

"One more outburst and-" The teacher was cut off by the sound of Nick's desk toppling over.

"Every year!" he groaned, attempting to set it upright. "Come on! Hadley, help!"

"...Who are you?" Hadley asked, edging her chair further away. Nick scowled and managed to return his desk to its original position.

"All three of you are already on a thin ledge. Don't push it." Mr. Walton began to write on the board. "Turn to page seven. We're starting with an introduction to slope intercept."

"I already hate ninth grade," Hadley muttered, thumbing through the pages until she found the one. She glanced at Lindsay, who was busy picking at a hangnail. "Lindsay." She have her friend a kick on the leg.

"Ow! What do you want?" Lindsay snapped, drawing attention from the class. She huffed and opened her book. "There."

"This is so much fun!" Nick whispered. "Chemistry and biology will be even better! Who wants to be my lab partner?"

"The last time I did a project with you, you somehow spilled glue down my bra," Lindsay muttered back. Suddenly she lit up and leaned closer to Hadley. "Speaking of bras, I'm in a C now!"

"With or without tissues?" Hadley retorted. Lindsay stared blankly before grabbing her pencil and angrily starting her work.

"Crap!" Nick complained. "My pen exploded!"

"Shut up!" Hadley whispered. She looked up to see Mr. Walton scowling.

"Anything special you three would like to share?" he demanded, crossing his arms.

"...I don't know these people." Hadley grabbed her book and went to the other side of the classroom. Lindsay glared at her and Nick stared sadly at the ink splatter on his book.

"Hold it, Hadley."

"What did I do?"

"You were also speaking in class. I am trying to teach and three of you are disrupting."

Hadley frowned. "They started it."

"That doesn't matter. You were participating in the conversation, weren't you? I do not put up with troublemakers."

"No wonder you're not married."

"Principal's office!" Mr. Walton gestured to the door. Hadley slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way towards the exit. "Now, Nick and Lindsay, unless you have something else to say-"

"Other than the fact that this stuff is bullsh-" Lindsay was interrupted by the teacher pointing at the door. "Fine. It gets me out of algebra, so good."

Nick stared sadly. "Why? Now I don't have any friends in this room!" he whined. "And here I thought you would be less uh..." He stumbled over his words. "Less provoking?"

"Nicholas. Follow them."

"What? I'll miss algebra!" he protested.

"Then the three of you can do an extra assignment for homework. Now, to the office."

As Nick passed the girls, Lindsay gave him a shove. "Thanks. Now I have to spend my night staring at a damn math book."

Hadley scowled. "You just had to get him to assign extra homework on the first day? It's a good thing I've never called you awesome."

"But you have..."

"Then I was stoned when I said it." Hadley led her friends down the hall and opened the door to the principal's office.

Principal Catherine Jameson looked up at the teenagers. "Ah, if it isn't Hadley, Lindsay, and Nick. What happened this time?"

"It's not my fault that Lindsay's an attention hound and Nick's a geek," Hadley scoffed. "And thanks to Mr. Cranky Pants, here we are." She narrowed her hazel eyes at her companions.

"Hey, you're the one who threw the guy's lack of marriage in his face," Lindsay accused. "I may be a little open, but at least I bite my tongue."

Hadley snorted. "Yeah, right. Says the girl who cussed out the gym teacher last year."

Nick squeezed between them. "Uh, so... are you gonna give us detention?"

"Yes. All three of you get two hours tomorrow night. I expect you to behave better this year. That means controlling those tempers, ladies. And for you, Nick, just... try not to set any fires this year. However, I will congratulate you for making such high grades. You children are dismissed."

The kids left the office, and as soon as they entered the hallway, Hadley groaned. "Just when I thought I'd gotten rid of Lady Brattiness." She scowled as Nancy Holland approached them, a smug smirk on her face.

"Why, Hadley Fallon! How I've missed you." Nancy twirled her light brown ponytail. "I hope you're not still upset about losing your spot on the soccer team."

"And I hope you don't mind the fact that I'm trying out again," Hadley said defiantly. "Because I actually know how to play. You only joined to make me mad. But tryouts are next week." She smiled. "See you then."

Nancy let out an angry breath and stormed in the opposite direction. As soon as she was out of earshot, Hadley kicked at the wall. "Why haven't I broken her neck yet?"

"Because last year you broke her nose and got suspended?" Lindsay offered.

"I don't care! She knew how much I wanted that spot and she purposely got me kicked off to make me look bad. Either one of you two could play better than she can." Her friends glared at her. "I have an idea, though."

"Does it involve bikinis and peanut butter?" Nick asked.

"Nick? Have I ever told you about the nice people with the butterfly nets and the big needle? They live on the other side of town in this pretty little building where other people of your kind live."

Lindsay snickered. "Good one!"

"I heard that she wants to try out for the cheerleading team this year. And since she took my spot, why don't I just give her a taste of her own medicine?"

"Whoa, wait, you're trying out for the cheerleading team? No offense, but you're not exactly the type to wear a miniskirt and dance around. Me, on the other hand..."

"Both of you do it!" Nick begged. "I would love to see that!"

"Would you guys shut up for a moment? Look, I'm just gonna stay on long enough to get Nancy frazzled. Then you can have the spot, Lin. She's less likely to slit your throat than mine." Hadley arched an eyebrow. "So, are you in?"

"Hmm... I have always wanted to try it out, and with you doing all the work, sounds like a deal!" Lindsay smiled widely.

"One question..." Nick began. "Do cheerleaders ever-"

"Shut up!"

**I'm nearly done with the next chapter. It's a collection of their family dinners, and you'll learn more about this little trio :) Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, hey, hey! New chapter o clock! Ding dong! Okay. I'll stop and get on with the review replies so I can let y'all read.**

**4everyoung10: Yes, Casey, you are very bossy! But without your bossiness, I would likely never update. XD**

**Katlana Child: Thanks! These kids are gonna have a pretty good amount of shenanigans throughout this story's run **

**mozzi-girl: Yup, they act like their parents, alright! We'll see more of their personalities as the story unfolds! :D**

"C'mon, it's not that bad," Hadley complained that night as she sat at the dinner table with her parents.

"Detention on the first day? That beats my record," Mal said.

"Not helping, Mal," Natara sighed.

"All I did was make one joke," the girl defended. "You guys wouldn't have known if a certain someone hadn't blabbed on me." She pointed at her sixteen year old brother.

Aiden shrugged and took a bite of his lasagna. "They would have found out when you have to go to detention tomorrow."

"Goody two shoes," Hadley muttered. "Would it let me off the hook any if I said Nick and Lindsay got detention, too?"

Natara rolled her eyes. "It seems like they always do."

"Yeah, but this time was different! Well, there's nothing new about Lindsay violating the dress code or Nick being a weirdo, but still... it's just detention. Better than being suspended for breaking Nancy's nose last year, right?"

Mal scowled. "If she's anything like Seth, I can't blame you."

Natara rolled her eyes, knowing that they couldn't reason with Hadley.

Hadley grinned. "But this year, she's gonna get something I like to call revenge. Maybe this time I won't have to bruise my knuckles."

Eight year old Noah looked up in concern. "Can't you just not hurt anyone?"

"Am I the only kid in this family who fights back?" Hadley retorted as she rinsed a plate and put it in the dishwasher. "On another note, Mr. Walton assigned extra algebra because Nick can't live without it, but luckily he's doing mine for me."

"Watch out. Your teacher may think something's up when your math grade goes from a C minus to an A plus," Aiden taunted.

Hadley glared at her older brother. "I have good grades in everything else. If it wasn't for math, I'd be on the honor roll."

"I have all A's," Noah interrupted.

"We know. But trust me, it gets harder," Hadley informed. "Especially when you have the people I call friends on either side of you."

"Nick and Lindsay? Nick's so cool!" Noah exclaimed. "He's gonna let me borrow all the Star Wars movies!"

Mal let out a groan. "They're no longer welcome here," he grumbled. Natara elbowed him in the ribs. "What? It isn't my fault our coworkers have strange kids."

CoD-CoD-CoD

"I'm home!" Lindsay shouted, kicking off her sandals and dropping her bag on a nearby chair. "Hey, Bobby. Where's Mom?"

"She'll be home any minute. And I told you not to call me Bobby," her mother's boyfriend replied. Robert eyed her. "You didn't wear that to school, did you?"

"Uh... yeah? " Lindsay reached into the bag on the coffee table and scooped out a small handful of chips.

"Go change into something decent."

Lindsay pretended to think it over. "But I like it, so I don't think I want to. Maybe later."

"If you keep dressing like that, you're going to get detention one of these days."

She rolled her eyes. "I won't get detention," she retorted. "I already got it." With an innocent smile she plopped down on the couch and reclined back, resting her feet on the table.

"You need to watch your mouth."

"I'd watch my mouth if you weren't a bossy prick. The last time I checked, you weren't in charge of me. Besides, Mom said I could." At that moment, Blaise entered the room. "I got detention because the school doesn't like my shirt. Not that I care."

"That's the spirit."

"See, Bobby? Told ya." She grabbed one of the takeout boxes Blaise had brought home and dug into it. "Oh, yeah. Hadley and I are gonna try out for the cheerleading team."

"I can't see Hadley cheering," Blaise commented.

"She's just doing it to get back at Nancy Holland. But I'm excited! Practice is on the same day the football players tryout, too." Lindsay smirked. "I'd love to be on top of the pyramid while the guys are practicing. That would get me a pretty good view." She took a bite of her sweet and sour chicken.

"I was on the cheerleading team. I got myself kicked off, but it was fun while it lasted."

"If anyone has a problem with me, they'll just have to put up with it. She grinned proudly. "They can always kick someone else off. Nothing gets rid of me."

CoD-CoD-CoD

When Nick entered his townhouse after school, he held his hand over his bleeding nose. "Mom? I kinda had a scenario on the bus..."

"Kitchen!" Amy called. Nick rushed into the kitchen. "What happened? And why do you have so many books?"

"Well, I love math, so... Mom! Ice pack and washcloth, then I'll tell!" He hopped from one foot to the other as Amy quickly dampened a washcloth and fixed an ice pack.

Nick sat down in a chair. "Okay, we kinda got in trouble so the teacher assigned extra algebra. And since I love it, I think it's awesome! But Hadley and Lindsay hate it do I'm kinda doing theirs. Isn't that cool?"

"How does that explain what happened to your nose?"

"I sorta got excited and fell down the bus stairs."

Amy sighed. "Nick, please be more careful before you break your arm or leg... again."

"Hey, bus stairs are easy to fall down!" Kai interrupted. "I fell down then so many times the bus driver told me I wasn't welcome anymore."

"See? I'm not the only one!" Nick's voice was muffled by the ice pack. "Oh, and I have detention tomorrow."

"For what?"

"My desk fell over and I broke my pen." Nick rested his elbows on the table. "They're still mad about the lunchroom accident last year!"

Kai shrugged. "I broke the principal's toilet and they mentioned it in the senior yearbook."

Nick groaned and face planted against the table with a thud that caused his nose to bleed again. "Oh, come on! It looks so painless in movies!"

"Stop doing dumb stuff!" seven year old Mia scolded.

"I'm not doing dumb stu- It's still bleeding!" Nick pounded on the table until Amy handed him the roll of paper towels. He wadded them against his nose. "What's for dinner?"

"Pizza."

"Did you get my pineapples and ham?"

"Eww. But, yeah."

"Awesome!" Nick pumped his fist in the air, knocking into the overhead lamp, which swung back and forth on its chain. "My day just isn't working out. Maybe I should start wearing a helmet every where."

"Not a good idea. Turns out you get picked on if you wear a helmet to school... a lot. Not that I would know..." Kai cleared his throat.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Just wash your hands before you eat."

Nick let out a breath before dragging his feet to the sink. He turned the knob, more carelessly than he intended to. It loosened and fell off in his hand. "Seriously?"

**I hope this wasn't too choppy or abrupt. We'll see more family interactions later on. For now, I'm gonna let you guys pick between some ideas for the next chapter!**

**The kids doing homework together, and chaos occurs**

**Hadley and Lindsay practicing for cheerleading tryouts**

**Our little trio spends a night watching scary movies**

**All of these ideas will be written, but you guys can leave a review, and tell me what one you want to see next. Whichever gets the most votes is the one I'll do! That is, if I get enough reviews **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, people! New chapter! **

**Review replies! DUN DUN DUN**

**PlayingWithColdFlames: Yeah, falling down bus stairs would be something I'd do! And we'll find out who Lindsay's dad is soon. I think CoD did me a favor.**

**Just a Beatles Girl: I'm glad you laughed like a maniac! And yes, Nick is awesome.**

**4everyoung10: Yay! You like my creations! Biologically they aren't mine, but still!**

**The Zebra Detective: Haha, Lindsay's fun to write! Well, they all are, actually.**

**Things in Ink: Yup, I'm clumsy like Nick, too!**

**Mozzi-girl: Yeah, Lindsay is a lot like Blaise!**

**MusicLyric: Scary movies it is!**

**Somewhat-Strange xx- Thanks! Yeah, Kai's still goofy as can be, even as a dad! Nick is just like him!**

After what felt like an eternity to the children, Friday rolled around. Fortunately they didn't have a ton of homework, but the week had felt long and treacherous, as the first week of school often did.

"Finally," Hadley moaned, dropping her backpack on the floor and sprawling on the couch.

Lindsay collapsed next to her. "I never thought the weekend would come."

Nick simply dropped onto the floor and looked up at them. "What are we gonna do?"

"We could go to the mall to eat dinner," Lindsay suggested.

"Nah," Hadley protested. "Let's just stay here and watch movies. I don't wanna leave this couch."

"You're lazy," Nick commented. "...Can you untie my shoe?"

"No." Hadley reached for the television remote and sighed when it fell onto the floor near Nick's foot. "Oh, well. Nothing's on anyway."

The front door opened, and Mal and Natara walked into the house. Mal glanced at the teens sprawled around the living room.

"Is it me, or do we always come home to find a bunch of lazy teenagers hogging up my couch?" he asked with a scowl.

"We've been at school, give us a break," Hadley whined, snuggling into the throw pillow against the armrest.

"Yeah, well, we've been chasing perps. Now give me my couch." Mal pushed on Hadley's shoulder, pushing her into the floor, pulling Lindsay with her. The blonde scowled at her.

"Mom, make Dad be nice," Hadley begged, sitting on the coffee table. "We had it first."

Mal shrugged and turned the television on. "You guys are just lazy."

Natara rolled her eyes. "Mal, you're not one to talk right now."

"Yeah, Dad, listen to Mom!" Hadley wisecracked. She trudged up the stairs to her room with Nick and Lindsay behind her.

Nick attempted to take a flying leap onto a beanbag, missing it. "Ow! Stupid freaking floor."

Hadley shook her head as she sat down at the head of her bed, leaning against the headboard. "I wish I felt like walking to the beach."

"That reminds me. I need to buy a new bikini," Lindsay noted, flipping through the pages of their yearbook from eighth grade.

"Can I watch you try them on?" Nick asked. Lindsay threw the book toward him, and he narrowly dodged it. "Ha! You missed!"

"What movie are we gonna watch?" Lindsay hung upside down from the foot of the bed, her hair brushing against the floor.

Hadley shrugged. "Something scary."

"Fine, but I don't want a ton of gore."

Nick groaned. "Lindsay, gore is the best!"

"Scream," Aiden suggested as he walked by his sister's room. Suddenly alert, Lindsay let out a high pitched squeal. "I meant the movie..."

"Sorry... Whoa! You work out?" she exclaimed, noting that her best friend's brother had developed some rather firm biceps.

"Uh... yeah? Every day after school."

"Nice," she said with a grin. Aiden gave her a strange look before leaving. Lindsay let out a giggle and sat back down.

Hadley arched a brow. "What was that about?"

"Your brother's hot!"

Later in the evening, they were able to reclaim the couch. With popcorn, Twizzlers, and several cans of Dr. Pepper sitting on the coffee table, Hadley inserted a DVD into the player.

"Scoot," she commanded, sitting between Lindsay and Nick and opening a can.

They had only watched fifteen minutes of Nightmare on Elm Street by the time Nick was hugging his knees in fear. "I'm never sleeping again!"

"Wimp." Lindsay threw a bit of popcorn at his head and chewed off the end of a Twizzler. "We have more to watch, so you better suck it up."

"And it's only seven. It's not even dark yet," Hadley added, opening a can of soda.

"So? People die in daylight, you know!" Nick said defensively. When the first movie ended, he jumped off of the couch. "Is anyone else hungry?"

"Go get more snacks while we put the next movie in." Hadley sorted through the stack of movies and picked one, pushing the button on the DVD player.

"By myself?" Nick glanced into the kitchen nervously.

"Oh, come on! Just go," Lindsay grunted. Nick made a face as he stalked into the kitchen, looking over his shoulder in both directions.

"Okay, nothing freaky... It's just the Fallons' kitchen. No killers or zombies are gonna get me," he assured himself, opening the cabinet and grabbing a box of Oreos. He hurried into the living room and jumped onto the couch. "I'm here! The kitchen's safe!"

"...Good to know." Hadley took the cookies from him and set them on the table before pressing the play button on the remote. Nick leaned back and casually folded his hands behind his head.

"Actually, it's just a movie… I'm not scared… I mean, I watch gory stuff all the time."

"Shh!"

"Pushy!" he whined, pouting as he crossed his arms. As the night went on and they watched one movie after another, the girls eventually stopped teasing him. "See? I knew I wasn't the only one scared! Not that I was scared at all, I mean."

"Yeah, right. Besides, who said I was scared?" Hadley responded. "These movies are fake."

"So true," Lindsay said, trying not to glance around in fear. It was nearly one in the morning, and everybody else had gone to bed.

"Do your parents have spare guns nearby? You know… in case of robbers?" Nick peered over the edge of the couch.

"I don't know. It would help! For robbers, like you said."

"Let's face it!" Lindsay snapped. "We're freaked out!" She made sure the door was locked before checking the blinds. "Why did you even suggest movies?"

"Me? You guys agreed!" Hadley argued, turning the side table tamp on. "Aiden's the one who suggest we watch Scream!"

"But he's hot and I don't wanna blame him!" Lindsay insisted.

"Don't worry!" Nick said dramatically. "I'll protect us!" There was a sound in the kitchen, and he jumped higher than he knew he was capable of before diving behind the couch.

"So much for that," Lindsay muttered. Hadley grabbed the lamp from the table. '"What are you doing?"

"Shh! Just for safety," she hissed. She threw a broom at Lindsay.

"I don't get a weapon?" Nick asked as he stood up.

"No. You'd spaz out and hit one of us… or yourself." Hadley crept into the kitchen. "I don't know what that was. Maybe we're just hearing things and-" She bit back a scream as someone bumped into her and held the lamp out.

"You guys do know that you're acting like a bunch of psychos from one of those movies, don't you?" Mal teased as he flipped the switch on.

"You did that on purpose to freak us out?"

"No. I'm just getting something to eat, and you guys come after me. Can't I even eat in my own kitchen without a bunch of kids trying to attack me?" Mal couldn't help but smirk at the embarrassed expressions on their faces.

"You should have given us some warning," Hadley muttered.

"Next time, you may wanna choose better weapon than a broom and a lamp."

**Hm, I wonder where Hadley gets her wisecracky-ness from….**


	4. Chapter 4

**Why, hey readers! This is a new chapter. Well, duh. On with the review replies!**

**Spiritualanddifferent: Yes, we would all be more wisecracky if we were spawns of Mal. XD**

**4everyoung10: Yeah, the lazy kids reminds me of us! Ha!**

**ZeDancingHobbit: Thanks! I like writing it!**

**BreezyFan: Thanks! Yes, Mal was awesome at the end.**

**Oryt: I'm glad you laughed so hard!**

**Things In Ink: Thank you, and here's an update :D**

**Mozzi-girl: Heh, I'm glad you liked the part with Lindsay flirting with Aiden, because it's not the last time she'll harass him!**

"I don't want to do this," Hadley groaned one evening after school.

Lindsay sighed heavily. "This was your idea! Don't you wanna make the team?"

"I do, but only to-"

"Get back at Nancy, yadda yadda yah." Lindsay threw a pair of gym shorts at the brunette. "We just gotta practice jumping and stuff. They'll probably get us to run laps, too."

"Sounds like a lot of work just to get payback."

"Just put the damn shorts on!"

"Well, then," Hadley huffed. She held the shorts up. "How am I supposed to wear these? My little brother's boxers are bigger than these things."

Lindsay groaned. "Just try," she pleaded.

"No."

"Fine! I'll do it myself!" Lindsay grabbed the waist of Hadley's jeans and yanked them down, attempting to wrestle her into the shorts.

"I'm being violated!" Hadley shouted, trying to wriggle free. "Lindsay, this isn't gonna work!"

"Dang, you're too tall." She managed to slip the shorts halfway up the other girl's thighs.

Hadley finally pried Lindsay off of her and ripped the despised clothing off. "What are you trying to do, cripple me?"

"Ugh! Fine then." Lindsay took them and threw them at her best friend's head. "Baby."

"Crazy." Hadley dug through her own gym bag until she found a pair of her own shorts. "You could have waited for me to open my bag before trying to rape me."

"Whoa, what? What did I miss?" Nick gasped as he entered the room. Both girls screamed and jumped "You guys were..." He was cut off by a hoodie landing on his head. "No need to throw articles of clothing..."

"Shut up!" Lindsay grabbed the sports bottle on her dresser and pulled a hair tie out of her bra, ignoring the quizzical looks of her friends.

"Can we just get this over with?" Hadley grabbed her gym bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"Hang on, would you?" Lindsay bent down to tie her shoes. "Some of us actually take longer than thirty seconds to get ready."

"Yeah, freaks." Hadley shrugged at the glare she received in response. Eventually Lindsay was ready, and they began to walk to the park.

"Hopefully there won't be a lot of people... except for guys. That I can live with," Lindsay thought out loud.

Nick looked offended. "What about me? I'm a guy! Don't I count?"

"Whatever." Lindsay walked through the gate of the park and set her bag down on a bench. "The track's empty! Let's run some laps!"

"Ugh," Hadley muttered, following her much more enthusiastic best friend onto the track. "Why do we have to run laps anyway?"

"To build leg strength! Don't you know how much jumping there is in cheer leading?" Lindsay started to run, Hadley beside her. Nick sat down on the bench and played Temple Run on his phone.

"Yeah, but seriously. How hard can it be to get on a team? You show up, jump around squealing and waving your arms, and bam. You're on the team. Woohoo." Hadley scrolled through the songs on her iPod and slipped her earbuds into her ears.

"You just did that to get out of arguing!" Lindsay accused. Hadley shrugged, clearly ignoring her.

After several laps, Hadley felt ready to call it a day. She sat down on the bench where Nick sat and took a long drink of water.

"Wow, you're sweaty," Nick noticed. Hadley gave him a look. "Sorry!"

Lindsay was already starting on sit ups, moving quickly. "C'mon, Hadley. Stop being a wuss and work."

"I am," Hadley hissed as she forced herself to do sit ups. She secretly wished she had never made the suggestion to join the cheer leading team.

"This is too much," she grunted. "I think my spine is going to fall out." She flopped onto the ground while Lindsay hopped to her feet.

"What do you wanna do now?" the lithe blonde asked.

"Shoot me."

"That's kinda extreme..." Nick commented. Lindsay grabbed Hadley's wrist and tugged the brunette girl to her feet.

"Lindsay," she whined. "Can we stop? I wanna take a break."

"Oh, come on, you big baby. It's been twenty minutes."

"Thirty," Hadley corrected as she sat down heavily and gulped down a bottle of water. Lindsay impatiently tapped her foot.

"Ready yet?"

"No," she protested as she stood up. "What else do we have to do?".

"Well, we can try do do some splits. They'll definitely ask us to do them and we'll need to practice." Lindsay easily slid down into a split.

"My legs hurt just looking at you." Hadley took a deep breath before imitating her best friend's actions. Her thighs protested as she stretched. She bit her lip and closed her eyes. "I think I just permanently damaged my thighs."

"Just hold still for a few seconds and you can get up. It isn't that tricky," Lindsay urged.

"Yeah, for flexible girls like you."

"You look like you're in pain," Nick commented. "A lot of pain." He cringed.

"You think? I don't think I can move. Help me up," she demanded. Nick grabbed her arm and pulled, only to slip in the grass.

"Whoops," he apologized, scrambling to his feet. "Whoa, I just totally got up like a ninja! That was awesome."

"Alright, alright. We can go, Hadley. But if you flunk the team, don't come crying to me." Lindsay picked up her bag,

"I don't wanna walk home after that. I feel like my skeleton is made out of jelly," Hadley complained. She looked at Nick pleadingly. "Piggyback ride?"

"What? I can't even carry my backpack!"

"Pleaaaaase?"

Nick sighed. "Fine. Hey, it may be cool having a girl on my back!"

Hadley ignored the comment as she climbed onto his back. Nick took a moment to gather his balance. Lindsay gave them an annoyed look.

"I don't get carried."

"That's because you actually enjoy working out," Hadley argued as they made their way home. "I can't remember the last time I exerted so much energy."

"You'd think that you wouldn't be so lazy when your parents still chase guys every day."

Before Hadley had a chance to retort, Nick stumbled and tripped, and she crashed down on top of him.

"Ugh," he moaned, his voice muffled. "Every single time, I trip over that little bump! It's like the person who designed this sidewalk put it there just to haunt me!" Once his rant was over, he glanced at Hadley. "Sorry I dropped you."

"At least you broke my fall. Possibly my sternum."

"This is why both of you need to work out more."

Hadley tossed a small pebble. "Shut up, Lindsay!"

**Oh, it's time to review! Next up, homework chaos! Dun dun dun…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, folks. New chapter!**

When the first month of school came to an end, they were somewhat surprised when one of the seniors handed them invitations to their late night party.

"Tonight is gonna be awesome!" Lindsay exclaimed, sipping her strawberry smoothie as they sat in a café near the beach.

"I dunno. I mean, Nancy's gonna be there," Hadley pointed out as she bit into a French fry. Lindsay sighed and looked to Nick for support.

"It does sound awesome. Hot girls, spin the bottle... I may get lucky!" He grinned as he stole one of Hadley's fries.

Hadley rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'll go. But if either of you get wasted, I'm leaving."

"That's it!" Lindsay praised, tossing her empty cup into a wastebin. "This is gonna be the best party ever! Just don't let our parents find out. I know Nick sucks at lying."

"I do not!" he defended.

"Do you have Star Wars boxers on?"

"...No... Yes... don't hassle me!"

CoD-CoD

Ten minutes after midnight, Hadley's phone vibrated on her nightstand. She rolled out of bed and sleepily read the text from Lindsay.

_Under your window. Let us in._

She quietly opened the window and lowered the fire escape ladder. Nick and Lindsay climbed up, trying to be quiet. Once they reached her second story window, Hadley helped them into the room.

"I'm so excited!" Lindsay whispered. "C'mon, you gotta get dressed. Like my outfit?" She smoothed a hand over her black skirt and tight shirt.

"That's kinda bold..." Hadley yawned.

Lindsay opened Hadley's closet and looked through her clothes with a disapproving expression. "You don't have anything party-ish in here." With a scowl she grabbed a tank top and the closest-fitting pair of jeans she could fine. "This will do. I have got to take you shopping for party clothes."

"Nick, turn around," Hadley commanded. Nick reluctantly faced the wall as Hadley quickly changed and under Lindsay's demand, applied a small amount of makeup and ran a curling iron through her hair.

"Ready?" she whispered. "Let's go." She climbed down the fire escape ladder, trying to make as little noise as possible.

"Okay, we'll have to be cool about this. Let's walk there and keep an eye out." Lindsay led the way to the desired household.

"What if we get mugged?" Nick whispered.

"We run, I guess," Hadley replied. "I'd be more worried about our parents finding us." After what felt like a journey, they arrived at a house with colored lights shining and music audible from the driveway. "This is it..."

"This is it, baby!" Lindsay burst into the house, easily picking her way through the crowd. "Are we late?"

"Right on time!" a brunette boy shouted above the music. "They've got drinks and snacks all around!"

"Alright!" Lindsay whooped. She turned to her friends with a grin. "Come on! Let's have fun!"

"Fine," Nick and Hadley sighed simultaneously. Lindsay practically danced to the long table at the end of the room, dragging them by their hands.

"Punch bowl!" she handed them each a drink and chugged hers down. "Wow... strong. But damn, that's some good tasting punch!" She quickly drank another before dancing with the other kids.

"Guess it won't hurt to try." Hadley poured cups for Nick and herself, and they both winced at the strong taste.

"Yuck!" Hadley spit it out, and Nick tried to dodge, accidentally knocking over a lamp.

"Eww," he complained as she helped him up. "Wow, I can't even see Lindsay now."

"She's probably already with some guy. Let's go somewhere less noisy." She dragged him into the kitchen, finding a girl passed out under the table and a couple making out against the fridge. "Okay... close enough."

Nick reached into a bowl and grabbed a handful of cashews. "I wonder if this salt is some kind of drugged salt."

"I hope not. You on crack would be... just... no." Hadley shuddered and sat down.

"Well, there's Hadley!" a shrill voice rang out. Hadley buried her face in her hands as Nancy approached her. "I thought you'd chicken out," she slurred, clearly drunk.

"Nope, I'm here," she snapped. "I'm here surrounded by drunk kids who can't even walk straight."

"Oh, calm down! Your friend's already having fun," Nancy giggled, slurping a glass of beer.

"I kinda wish I had stayed home," Nick confessed. Hadley nodded in agreement.

"Yup." She rested her elbows on the table. "I'd rather be at home doing something nonproductive, like sleeping."

Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders. "Hey! Come play limbo!" Lindsay begged. Hadley could tell that her friend was already tipsy.

"How much have you had?"

"I dunno! I had another punch, then I lost count of beer... I think..." Lindsay grabbed Hadley and pulled her out of her seat. "Limbo time!"

Hadley followed her reluctantly. "This is gonna be one long night..."

**There's gonna be a part two to this chapter! Stay tuned! Review? I hope this wasn't too choppy. I wrote it a while back and decided I wanted to post it now.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Part two is in! Now, you should read! YES. BWHAHAHAH!**

**I'm too lazy to do review replies. Oh well!**

As the night dragged on, Hadley began to contemplate leaving. She had refused any drinks, and often found herself trying to escape a drunk, half-naked boy.

Somehow she had been roped into playing Spin the Bottle, and Hadley felt squished at her end of the couch. She sighed before giving the empty bottle a spin. It twirled rapidly before coming to a stop.

"Remember," slurred a boy with messy hair. "No exceptions. You kiss who it lands on."

Hadley stared at the person across from her. "I am not kissing that. Even if I was as drunk as you guys, I would never kiss that thing."

Nancy, who had sobered up slightly, backed away. "For once, I agree. Eww." She stumbled away in the other direction.

"C'mon! Girl kiss!" the boys chorused. Hadley grabbed the bottle and shattered it against the wall, earning several moans.

She climbed up the stairs, hoping to find a quiet place. She had lost sight of both Nick and Lindsay, and nearly every room contained at least three teenagers, either making out or sprawled in the floor.

She jumped when someone grabbed her from behind. She sighed in relief realizing that it was Nick. "Hey... maybe we should find Lindsay and try to drag her out of here.

"Yeah... I saw her somewhere." Nick waved his hand vaguely. "This is creepy! They chased me with squirt cans of maple syrup!" He scowled as he wiped a bit of sticky syrup from his cheek.

"That's bad? I've had to run from at least three guys." Hadley furrowed her brow as she caught sight of a familiar person. "My brother is here...?" She grabbed Aiden's arm.

"Hey! What are you doing?" they snapped simultaneously. "You better not tell Mom and Dad!"

"Whoa! Sibling telepathy much?" Nick gasped.

"Look, just... you keep your mouth shut and I'll do the same, okay?" Aiden gave his younger sister a pointed look. She nodded in agreement, and he walked away.

"That was... unexpected," she said.

"There she is!" Nick nearly shouted. "She's uh... kissing herself in the mirror."

Hadley made her way down the hall and pulled Lindsay back. "Lindsay!"

"Hey!" Lindsay threw an arm around her.

"Why were you kissing yourself in the mirror?" Nick asked

Hadley rolled her eyes. "She does that when she's sober." She eyed Lindsay and wrinkled her nose at the smell of alcohol. "How much did you have?"

"Uh... oh, yeah! Someone handed me a shotglass... good stuff." Lindsay laughed. "Come on... we're dancing up a storrrrmm!"

"This is Sparta!" an eleventh grader shouted as he charged down the hall, holding a shower rod like a spear.

"...That was random..." Hadley trailed off. "C'mon, Lindsay, we need to go."

"No!" the blonde argued. "I don't want to... fun!"

"You can't even walk straight! I bet you drank even more than what you told me." Hadley grabbed one of Lindsay's arms, and Lindsay slipped out of her grasp and joined a conga line as a handful of kids made their way down the hall.

"Join the line!" she pleaded.

"Well... she's gone again," Nick sighed.

"Whatever. We'll find her again sooner or later."

"Do you think our parents know we're gone?" Nick wondered.

"Oh my god... I don't want think about that," Hadley scowled. "I really, really wish I was in bed and not here. I hate people. Have I bet mentioned how much I hate people? I hate teenagers aside from myself. I hate-"

"Everything and everybody?" Nick asked. "I just wanna get home to my video games. I have zombie brains to explode!"

"You do that when you get home." The music downstairs was growing louder, making the floor tremble. Several people whooped and there was the sound of shattering glass and squealing.

"We have fireworks!" someone yelled. "Let's go outside and blow 'em up!"

"This can not end well," Hadley muttered as she and Nick hurried down the stairs and outside, where a pants less boy and a girl with a torn shirt were fiddling clumsily with a lighter.

"Should we do something? Like... stop them from killing us with fireforks?"

"We're the only sober ones here. Who else is gonna stop it?" Hadley stepped forward. "Hey, goons. Fireworks and booze don't mix. So hand me the lighter."

"You're just a killjoy," the girl hissed. Hadley recognized her as Larissa Santos.

"If you stick around here, more than joy is gonna be killed. Not that I care. Just don't expect me to say kind things at your funeral."

She and Nick stepped into the house and watched as the fireworks exploded in a colorful mess, followed by the sound of several pained moans.

"I think I see some drops of blood on the patio," Nick said in awe. "Even I don't drink before using explosives. Except this one time, I drank three Monsters and blew up the toaster."

"We all know about your tendency to harm innocent household appliances." Hadley glanced over her shoulder and saw Lindsay in the kitchen. "That's it. Let's grab her and leave before they do something even stupider."

"On it!" Nick cracked his knuckles.

"Nick, we aren't mugging her," Hadley sighed.

"I know! My fingers were spazzing!" he defended, trailing behind her as she quickly strode into the kitchen, where Lindsay was lying on the counter.

"Hey, guys! Look!" She held up a small object. "This is Henry!"

"...That's an avocado," Hadley corrected, taking one of Lindsay's arms. Nick grabbed the other and they dragged her out of the kitchen.

"Whoa, you guys are strong!" Lindsay complimented as they half dragged-half carried her out.

"You weigh ninety pounds, Linds. It doesn't really take the Hulk to lift you," Hadley wisecracked.

"And here I felt strong and manly," Nick muttered.

Hadley started to open the door and was met by a familiar face. "Dad! I mean... hey, Daddy! What brings you here?"

"Funny. I was gonna ask you the same thing." Mal scowled. "Bartaugh and Willis got a call to investigate suspicious noise and they wanted me to tag along because neighbors reported explosions and screams of pain."

"Where's Mom?" Hadley asked nervously.

"Home."

"She isn't waiting for me with a gun, is she? Please say she isn't, because I like my life and I'll be really sad if it ends so soon," she panicked.

"Relax, she won't know until in the morning. We're taking Nick home and Blaise is on her way."

"Does my mom know?" Nick paled. "Is she mad?"

"I've known Amy a long time. You may wanna put a helmet on before going inside. But then again, she was also yelling at Kai for getting an ice cream bucket stuck on his head."

"Aw, man! That was the last tub of ice cream!" Nick whined. "And I don't want Mom to kill me! I haven't met a ninja yet! I had my whole life ahead!"

"Yeah, so did I," Hadley grouched.

"Where's your brother?" Mal questioned. As if on cue, Aiden appeared in the hallway.

"Dad? This isn't what it looks like..."

Mal rolled his eyes. "You could have come up with a better explanation." The children followed him to his car while Hadley shoved Lindsay towards Blaise's car.

"Hey! It's a driveway!" Lindsay exclaimed.

Hadley climbed into the backseat with Nick. Mal backed out of the driveway and started to make his way to Nick's house.

"If I'm not at school Monday, send a search team and tell everyone that my mom is the prime suspect, okay?" Nick pleaded.

"Yeah, same here. Either that or I'm locked in my room until I kick the bucket."

"So much drama in one conversation," Mal scoffed as he stopped the car.

Nick gulped before entering his house with all the speed of a comatose snail until he tripped over the doorstep. "I knew it was a booby trap!" he wailed. "Goodbye, world! Wait... never mind! I'm temporarily unharmed!"

**Isn't Nick such a drama king? Now, you know the drill. REVIEW. The next chapter will definitely be homework chaos, because then the kids will reveal the consequences from their little party.**


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